


Ghosts, Adventure, and Answers

by dodosindamnation



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21904429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dodosindamnation/pseuds/dodosindamnation
Summary: Patton has never been one for ghosts and ghouls and adventure. He prefers to pretend none of it is real – to believe none of it is real. But Roman doesn’t. So when his (much braver) friend drags Patton into a hospital, and they get separated? Well, Patton certainly finds the answers Roman was searching for. Although, he wishes he hadn’t…
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Kudos: 15





	Ghosts, Adventure, and Answers

“Come on, guys, it’ll be fun!” Roman cried. Logan rolled his eyes, looking bored. Patton and Virgil appeared a bit more worried.

“I dunno, Ro…” Patton began hesitantly. “Doesn’t it feel kinda icky? Walking all over where people have died? It’s pretty disrespectful…”

“Not to mention, if there _are_ any ghosts or whatever in there, we could all be haunted and/or possessed for the rest of eternity, so there’s that!” Virgil snapped.

Patton glanced at him, nodding slightly.

“Logan, _you’ve_ got to be curious!” Roman insisted, ignoring the others completely.

The addressed man shrugged. “Ghosts are a manner of fictional representation of humans’ false reassurance of the inevitability of death. They are an irrational and illogical assumption made by people who fear the unknown.”

Roman stared at him blankly. “What?” He decided he didn’t really want a clarification and shook his head. “Virgil, I thought that you were all about spookiness and Halloween and stuff like that? What happened to your recklessness in the search for answers?”

“Roman, I’m me. I _never_ had any recklessness. And this sure as hell isn’t going to start me off.”

They all looked over at the abandoned hospital, and Patton gave an involuntary shudder. The place was supposedly one of the most haunted places in the state, and, while Patton didn’t really believe in ghosts, the thought of walking around and disrupting the resting place of so many innocent people made him feel way too uncomfortable to hide it.

He turned to Roman. “Please can we go somewhere else? There are plenty of other places for us to have fun, where we’ll _all_ be happy!”

Roman groaned. “But ghosts! Answers! Adventure!”

Patton stared at him, and tried not to crack under his friend’s puppy eyes.

Then, he sighed. “I… suppose… five minutes won’t harm…”

“Patton!” Virgil cried. “What about all of the dead people? What about disrespecting them? What if they get upset with us and we have to get exorcised or something? Ghosts are a serious thing — one of us could get really hurt!”

“Yeah, but, a few minutes won’t hurt, and if we make it real clear to the— the— to _them_ , that we aren’t here to be mean, then they won’t be upset, because we won’t be disrespecting them!” Patton could hear the hint of desperation in his own voice. He knew that Roman would go into the hospital, no matter what, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to sit outside and wait for him to return. But Patton needed someone else there with them, someone rational to ground Roman’s excitement and Patton’s discomfort.

“Well, I’m not going in,” Virgil murmured, silently begging Patton to follow his lead.

“Me neither,” Logan added. “It is a pointless venture that will only end up as a figurative wild goose chase.”

Patton looked between them, trying to regulate his breathing. He was suddenly terrified of the building.

“Pat, stay out here. Roman will be fine.”

Patton shook his head. “I’ll see you in a bit, if you don’t wanna come with. Stay safe out here. Don’t go far. And don’t get in any cars with strangers, okay?”

Roman laughed. “They won’t do that, Patton, they’re adults. Nearly. Logan is. Now, come on! We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Patton looked at him and plastered a wide grin on his face. “Uh-huh! Come on then!”

Roman spun and sprinted across the parking lot and to the doors. Patton walked after him, trying so hard not to freak out he almost lost the grin. Why was he so scared of this? It was an old, empty building. There would be no diseases in there, and there would be no corpses, and there would be no living people either, except for Roman and himself. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Yet, when Roman opened the door and stepped inside, Patton felt his chest constrict dangerously and his knees go wobbly. He swallowed and walked inside after Roman, into the darkness beyond.

Virgil glared at the entrance as the door creaked shut behind his friends, blocking off the darkness beyond.

“He’s such a moron,” he growled. “An egotistical, self-centred, witless, _moron_.”

Logan looked at him. “Who are we talking about?”

Virgil met his eyes and frowned. “What? Who do you think?”

“Well, you said ‘he’, therefore you are only referring to one single person, and yet two people have just entered that hospital. To whom are you referring?”

“Roman!” Virgil snapped. “Patton _clearly_ didn’t _want_ to go in there! He was _clearly_ uncomfortable — hell, no, he was clearly _terrified_! But Roman forced him into it, just like he does with everything that _he_ wants to do, but _no one_ else does. Have you noticed that? Whenever Roman wants to do something, it gets done by at least one of us. Even when we say no. And now Patton is in there with him, probably scared out of his mind, because he doesn’t understand that he’s allowed to say no.”

Logan watched Virgil for a little while, and then his eyes grazed over to the hospital entrance. “I suppose you are right. But Patton wasn’t _forced_ into anything. He was pressured, yes, but Roman didn’t drag him in against his will. Like you said, everything Roman wants to do gets done by at least one of us. That one being Roman, I assume. Therefore, it is fairly clear that Roman would have gone into that building, even if Patton had elected to remain out here with us. Patton did not have to enter. He chose to.”

Virgil was staring at him, wide-eyed with disbelief. “Seriously?” he asked. “Are you defending him?”

Logan met his eyes, looking frustratingly innocent. “No. I am merely stating objective fact. In my opinion, Patton should have stayed out here, if he were as uncomfortable as you state. But he wasn’t forced into the hospital. Not by Roman or anyone else.”

Virgil shook his head and glared at the door again.

He wouldn’t go in. No matter what. Not even if one of them came out screaming and crying, Virgil would _not_ enter that hospital. Ever.

Patton shouldn’t have come in. No matter what. He should’ve just waited outside for Roman to return and left it at that. But no. He got protective and worried and he followed, because he was an idiot.

Roman turned around and grinned at him, and a little bit of Patton’s uneasiness lifted. He was safe with Roman. And ghosts weren’t real! He had nothing at all to fear in this place.

“Isn’t this wonderful?” Roman asked excitedly.

Patton smiled at him. “Yeah, sure. It’s fine.”

He looked around the room that they stood in. It was almost too dark to see most of it, as there were great big wooden boards covering up the windows, but after a minute, Patton’s eyes focussed. The walls were all painted white, but were peeling awfully and there were damp spots seeping through them, creating shrouding shadows what swooped to the ground like dark curtains trying to hide something terrible. Patton shuddered at the thought. Most of the peeled paint was covered in graffiti, and the front desk was smashed to pieces by squatters and teenagers and whatever else. There were wheelchairs and gurneys and those old-person-walky-things strewn across the floor. The ceiling was high up, and so Roman’s voice echoed when he laughed.

“This is the bravest thing we’ve ever done, Patton. You are a knight, my friend!”

Patton grinned, even more of his fear disintegrating under Roman’s bright, beaming smile. “Yeah. And you’re a prince, Ro. But, let’s not stay here for too long.”

Roman’s grin softened, and he looked grateful. “Of course. Come on, let’s go explore a bit.”

He grabbed Patton’s hand and dragged him through a door to their left and into a long corridor.

Suddenly, there was a massive clatter ahead of them, like metal falling to the tiled floor. Patton yelped and clung onto Roman’s arm.

His friend laughed. “You’re alright, Padre. It was just a raccoon or something.”

Patton tried to slow his breathing back down. He nodded, ignoring his racing heart.

“Ghosts aren’t real,” he whispered. “Ghosts aren’t real.”

Roman let out another chuckle. “Of course not.”

Patton repeated the words in his head like a mantra. “Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts aren’t—”

They reached the source of the sound. A table was lying on its side, scalpels and scissors and other odd instruments scattered across the hall floor.

Patton stared at them, and Roman pulled him forward. “See? Just an animal knocking over a little table.”

“How big of an animal?” Patton whispered. He was relaxing more now, and wasn’t clinging onto Roman’s arm anymore, but instead holding his hand.

Roman laughed, and the sound echoed, distorting as it reached the end of the corridor. “Patton, I promise you, you’re safe. Isn’t this fun?”

Patton looked at him with doubtful eyes. “Fun. Yeah, sure, fun.”

Roman grinned again. “Mhm. Fun!”

They walked farther into the hospital, Patton keeping a mental map in his head so that they’d know the way out when the time came, which Patton hoped was soon.

However, Patton managed to relax again. After that first incident, there hadn’t been anything else. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that it _had_ just been an animal, like Roman said.

He was starting to understand how Roman found this fun. The adrenaline running through his veins into his heart, making his heart beat ridiculously fast, but not exactly unpleasantly. His smile was turning genuine, and he even managed to laugh after he startled at rats scurrying across the floor.

Suddenly, there was another crash, this time behind them. It echoed through the corridor eerily. Then, it was followed by a tinkling, childish laugh that sent shivers down Patton’s spine.

All courage that had been building up inside of the teenager disappeared, and he clung to Roman’s arm, screwing his eyes closed. “Roman, Roman, Roman, helphelphelphelphelp,” he muttered.

Roman had already tensed at the sound, drawing himself up to his full height next to the cowering Patton. “Hello?” he called. “Are you alright?”

More laughter, from both ends of the corridor. Then footsteps, pattering, getting closer. Patton spun around and the footsteps passed them.

“Roman! RoRoRoRo… what’s happening? Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts—”

Another bout of tinkling, terrifying laughter. Patton screwed his eyes shut and squeezed Roman’s arm.

“Roman…” he whimpered.

Roman scratched his friend’s head. “It’s okay. Probably just a few kids playing tricks on us.”

“‘A few kids’?” Patton squeaked. “Can— there can’t be— Roman, they sound like six-year-olds! They can’t be playing tricks on us, not like this!”

“No,” Roman murmured absentmindedly. “Come on. Let’s go see who it is.”

“What? No! Roman, please, please no,” Patton begged.

Roman carried on forwards, and Patton tried to pull him back.

“Roman! Please. Please. I’m scared, Roman, please can— please can we go?”

“Patton, it’s fine, okay? We’re fine. Everything’s fine. Come on, just a little longer. Please?”

Patton shook his head. “Roman, I’m really scared in here.”

“You’re perfectly safe, Pat, I promise you. Please, just a few minutes longer. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Patton frowned, trying to see further down the corridor. “Roman…”

“Do you trust me?”

The younger boy looked at his friend and pursed his lips, but couldn’t stand against the Aladdin quote. “Well… okay. A few more minutes.”

Roman grinned as he ruffled Patton’s hair. “You’re the best, Patty. Come on.”

They carried on walking, and then there was a whimper from a corridor right next to them, the doors hanging ajar. Roman tapped one and it swung open, revealing nothing but darkness.

“Roman, don’t, please,” Patton begged, knowing full well what his friend was thinking.

“Pat, somebody could need help! What prince would I be if I ignored that?”

Patton wanted to help, too, but the sight of the black abyss was too much. “Hello?” he called into the darkness. Nobody replied.

“We’re here to help you,” Roman continued softly. “It’s okay. Just speak to us.”

“No,” somebody whispered. The sound was eerie, inhuman. No person could ever make such a noise. Patton gripped Roman’s arm, his fingers digging into his friend’s bicep. Tears were suddenly stinging his eyes. He wanted to throw up.

“Roman, please. I’m serious. I wanna go home. Please, can we go home?”

Roman ignored him, walking forwards. Patton kept his feet rooted to the spot, but he wasn’t sure whether it was with fear or determination.

His friend sighed and turned to Patton, smiling softly. He gently pried Patton’s fingers off his arm. “It’s okay. Just wait here — I’ll only be a minute.”

Patton felt sick with fear. He wanted to protest, but he was frozen, unable to move or speak. He just stared at Roman, begging with his eyes for his friend to stay with him.

But Roman mistook the silence for a reluctant agreement.

“Thank you. Just wait here, I’ll be right back.”

He turned away and walked into the darkness, his red T-shirt disappearing from Patton’s sight soon after.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind Roman. Patton jerked forward and slapped it with the palms of his hands.

“Roman?” he called. He tried to open the door, but it was as if something was holding it closed from the other side. “Roman!”

“Pat? Open the door,” Roman’s voice answered.

“I’m not closing it! How would I keep it shut, Roman? It’s a push door from where I am!”

There was a moment of silence. “Okay. Okay, get out of this hospital, okay? You’re gonna be fine. So am I. Just get out, and I’ll meet you out there. Don’t let Virgil or Logan back in, okay? And don’t you come back in again.”

“Okay,” Patton answered. “Ro?”

“Yeah?”

“Please be careful.”

Another beat of silence. “You too. I’m sorry for this.”

“It’s okay,” Patton answered. “I’ll see you in a minute.”

He turned away from the door when Roman said goodbye, his heart beating hard against his chest.

He walked back the way they’d come, and stopped dead.

“ _Pat_ ,” a high-pitched voice cackled, from just a few metres down the corridor.

Patton suddenly felt cold.

“Hello?” he tried to call, but it came out as a weak rasp.

“ _Pat_ -ton!” the voice sing-songed.

Patton stumbled backwards as the laughter came again, along with the pattering of footsteps. He spun on his heel and sprinted farther into the darkness, not even worried about getting lost or getting out. Right now, all he could focus on was getting away.

He sprinted faster than he’d ever moved before, the laughter following him at a rate he couldn’t outrun.

Patton turned a corner and slipped, landing awkwardly on his wrist before jumping back up and running more.

He gasped for air as he dived into a pitch black ward, before scrambling backwards and curling up into a ball in the corner of the room.

He pulled out his phone to call Virgil.

Patton hit the power button desperately, sobbing quietly in horror as the battery symbol flashed on screen. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and bit his knuckle when he heard that tinkling laugh, right outside the door.

Patton pressed his hands against his ears to try and drown it out, but now the sound was in his head, filling his mind, turning his brain into cotton wool. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to imagine he was back outside with Virgil. That laughter was— Roman’s! Yes. The laughter was Roman’s, or at least it was in Patton’s imagination, and the footsteps were Virgil’s as he walked over to Patton to hug him.

Yes. And Logan was in the car, and the voice calling out Patton’s name was his.

Patton closed his eyes even more and pressed his ears even harder. He focussed on his little fantasy. If he focussed hard enough on that world, this one wouldn’t exist, and before he knew it he would be in that world.

Yes, that would work.

There was a breath on the side of his head. Patton screamed and fell sideways, scrambling away. He looked at where he’d just been sat, but the space was empty.

He swallowed. “It was a draught,” he whispered to himself. “Just a draught.”

He drew his knees to his chest and buried his head in them anyway, so that none of his skin was exposed.

He tried to get back onto that imaginary world with his friends, but couldn’t seem to be able to find it anymore.

Patton bit his lip, trying to focus on the pain, just the pain, only the pain.

“ _Patton_.”

He let out another scream and fell over, hitting his head hard on the wall. Something had whispered right into his ear, he felt it and he heard it and it was right there.

“Stay with us, Pat. You can be happy here. We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to, not like nasty little Roman.” The voice was high-pitched and eerie. It sent the uncomfortable image of moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter movies into his mind.

“Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts aren’t real,” he whispered, his words shaking along with his body.

“We’re not ghosts, silly!” the voice laughed. “We’re right here. Can’t you see us?”

Patton opened his eyes and looked up, and indeed, there was a young girl with sharp, pointed teeth grinning down at him, wearing a Victorian-style dress and black shoes that didn’t touch the ground. The most unnerving part of her appearance, however, wasn’t even translucency of her skin. It was the dirty, bloodied bandage wrapped around her eyes. The black stains circled right where her eyes should have been, and dripped down, creating tracks on her skin.

He let out another scream and jumped up, before sprinting out of the room and down the hall, screaming for Roman and Virgil and Logan, screaming for help. Tears were running down his cheeks, making it even harder to see down the black hallway, but he couldn’t stop. He could still here the laughter chasing him, the footsteps.

“ _Virgil_!” Patton yelled with every force his voice could muster. He wasn’t sure why he wanted _Virgil_ so badly, he just did. Virgil would make him brave again. He’d keep him safe.

The laughing voices behind him echoed his cry mockingly, and another sob escaped his lips. He was completely lost now. He’d turned corner after corner after corner, winding deeper and deeper into the pitchest black of the hospital.

Suddenly, he heard a cry. Faint, almost not there, but he heard it. “Patton?” Virgil. It was Virgil, _his_ Virgil. He’d come and he was going to rescue Patton and then everything would be okay.

Patton screamed for his friend again, louder now. He didn’t even think what he was doing could be called sprinting anymore, it was more like flying.

He kept glancing over his shoulder without meaning to. He couldn’t see them, couldn’t see _her_ , but he knew she was there. He could hear her.

“Pat? Where are you?”

Virgil was closer now. Patton just ran, not really knowing whether or not he was going towards Virgil’s voice.

“Virgil! Virgil, help!”

Suddenly, with one last glance, Patton bowled into something tall and thin and warm. Arms wrapped around his shoulders and he kicked out, fighting for escape.

“No! Get off! Get off me!” he screamed. He tried to ignore how his voice cracked.

“Patton, hey, shush, it’s me. It’s Virgil. It’s okay. Calm down. Breathe.”

Patton looked up into Virgil’s face and melted. He wrapped his arms around Virgil’s waist and squeezed tightly. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. We need to go. Go now. I’m so scared, V, please can we go? Please.”

He wasn’t sure whether he was hyperventilating or he was just out of breath from running too much. Either way, it was terrifying how little he was inhaling at the moment.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Virgil stroked Patton’s head. “You don’t need to be scared, I’ve got you.”

Patton let out a sob. “Please can we go?” he whispered, screwing his eyes closed and trying to burrow even deeper into Virgil’s chest.

“Okay. Of course we can, Patton. But you gotta let go of me, alright?” He tried to push Patton away gently, but the terrified teen just squeezed tighter.

“No!” he cried. “Don’t make me let go, Virgil, please. Please don’t make me!”

“Okay. Okay, Pat, you don’t have to let go. But we need to make it so that we can actually walk, okay?”

Suddenly, something else occurred to Patton, and he jerked back. “Roman! We need Roman! I left him—”

“No, Patton!” Virgil grabbed his wrist as he tried to run back into the hallway. “He’s outside. Logan’s calming him down. He’s fine. Just worried about you. Come on.”

Virgil pulled Patton to his side and the younger boy wrapped his arms around his friend’s torso again. It was definitely easier to move now.

There was suddenly a crash from the hallway that Patton had just escaped.

Patton let out a cry and clung to Virgil, paralysed with terror.

Virgil looked into the darkness, frowning. “It’s okay. I’m sure it’s nothing. Besides, nothing will touch us as long as we’re together. That’s ghost rules. They’re not allowed. If there’s a friendship so strong that it practically glows, they’re afraid of us.”

“Am not!” came the little girl’s reply. She sounded angry now. Virgil jerked away involuntarily, the movement breaking him out of Patton’s hold.

The younger teen screamed, a sound so filled with terror it made Virgil shiver himself. Patton bolted away, running down the corridor that Virgil had just left.

“Patton, wait! It’s best if we stick together!”

Patton didn’t seem to hear him. He just ran again, turning random corners and trying to dodge the abandoned equipment.

“Patton! Please!”

Patton glanced over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being chased, and with that ran straight into an upright gurney. He cried over and went flying, knocking it over with his body and spilling scalpels and things all over the floor.

“Patton!” Virgil cried, trying to speed up so that he could somehow catch his friend.

Patton landed, twisting his wrist again, and slid across the floor. He stopped when his shoulder hit the wall, and from there he just curled up into a ball and hid himself again.

“Patton, are you okay?” Virgil asked when he’d caught up. He was kneeling next to Patton, trying to pull him back up, but every time he tried Patton would whimper and burrow further into his own knees.

“Stop! Stop it. Stop. Leave me alone. Leave me alone.”

“Patton, come on! We’re going! Now!”

Patton flinched at the harshness in Virgil’s tone, and the older boy bit his lip.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. It’s okay. We just… we should go. We should get out, come on. Patton, please. We need to go.”

Patton shook his head and sobbed. “No! No, please, please don’t… ‘m scared, V, ‘m so scared.”

Virgil swallowed, tears springing into his eyes. “Pat… I know you are. But you don’t need to be. Nothing happened when you were with Roman, right? So nothing will happen now that I’m here. I’ll protect you, Patton.”

“Do… do you promise?” Patton asked, his terrified eyes staring into Virgil’s.

“I promise you. I will keep you safe until we’re out.”

Patton stared at him, then nodded, standing up. He held his wrist to his body, wincing slightly when Virgil jostled it.

“Are you okay?”

“I tripped earlier, twisted it. And I guess I just hurt it again. I’m okay. Can we go? Please?”

A sudden burst of rage exploded in Virgil’s chest and he hugged Patton to his side, careful to avoid his hurt wrist. He was going to murder Roman once Patton was safe. “Of course we can. Definitely. Come on.”

The carried on down the corridor, twisting and turning their way through the brick maze. Patton jumped at every sound, desperately clinging onto Virgil for dear life, totally forgetting his injured wrist.

“Okay. It’s okay,” Virgil kept whispering. Patton was muttering something under his breath, a continuous stream of words that seemed to take one exhale. Virgil couldn’t understand him though. Every once in a while, Patton’s voice would break and his breath would come in a short gasp, before he let out a small sob, and then he’d regain control. Every time this happened, Virgil squeezed his friend tighter, hoping desperately to comfort him.

Finally, after what felt to Patton like hours of walking, they reached the main foyer, and another sob escaped his lips.

They walked a bit quicker to the entrance. Virgil pushed open the doors and tried to push Patton out, but the younger boy refused.

“Don’t make me let go,” he whispered, his voice shaking almost as much as his body.

“Okay,” Virgil replied softly. He managed to push open both doors and manoeuvre them out.

Roman was pacing outside, Logan leaning against the car and speaking to him, but when the two stepped out, both of the jumped to attention, staring in shock at Patton’s state.

He was still clinging to Virgil’s side, and now that he was out of the hospital, his eyes were darting around, as if some other horror was awaiting him outside.

“Patton!” Roman cried.

Patton flinched, before he realised who had called him. He instantly jumped off of Virgil and ran to Roman, wrapping his arms around his friend’s neck. “Oh, my goodness, Ro, you’re okay! What happened? Did you see them? The— the girl? Did you?”

“No. I didn’t see anything,” Roman replied softly, wrapping one arm around Patton’s waist and twisting the other into his curly hair. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Patton. Please forgive me.”

Patton pressed his face into the crook of Roman neck. “I already did. Ages ago.”

Roman closed his eyes. “You’re… too wonderful for me. Far too wonderful.”

Patton didn’t answer for a moment. “Can we go? Far, far away? Please?” he then whispered, his voice shaking as he thought about what stood just behind him.

“Of course we can. And I will never, ever pressure you into doing anything again. I swear it on my honour.”

Patton let out a small, wet laugh. “Sounds good to me, kiddo.”


End file.
